Living For Today
by Gnarled Bone
Summary: Naruko is an amnesiac teen found by Kyouko's mother, Kanata. For three years she was raised by them, and when a strange "priest" gives her an odd offer to attend Yokai Private Academy, free of charge, she finds it hard to turn down. ::Femslash, yuri. Fem!Naruto. Probable harem and slow-burn.::
1. Prologue

Prologue

Electricity cackled and quickly went mute in the roar of rushing water. The sparks emanating from the hand behind her back faded.

Red eyes stared at her almost callously; his blank expression, along with her blurring vision, hid the turmoil that swirled behind that crimson gaze. Neither moved—besides the beating of the monstrous hands that kept them both aloft in the air—although for different reasons: He for the sudden end to the battle and she because of the pain wracking her body.

He winced then. His eyes flared with a gradually growing heat but he rejected the urge to rub them.

The girl impaled upon his arm clutched at him feebly. Blood covered her front and flowed down his limb. Dulling blue eyes were half-lidded, but still showed shock in their gaze. The locked on the object protruding through her abdomen and out her back. Her breathing grew fainter and fainter and he struggled to keep his ears locked onto the sound with the thundering of the sky and the rage of the waterfall.

Her headband came undone and disappeared into the rapids below. A spasm sent her ever closer to the edge of oblivion.

Her soon-to-be killer's throat grey dry. He could feel her heart's pulse begin to slow. He swallowed; his tongue felt leathery and raw.

Did he not want this? The power that would set his eyes equal to his brother's?

"You pulled back," His voice nearly cracked. "You really are an idiot."

She did not speak. Not that she didn't try, but crimson slipped from her lips instead of words. A sharp gasp that was the embodiment of her pain followed the red trail. She choked slightly and wondered if the chakra-made lightning reached her throat. The lightning had left faint, charred lines that nearly reached her collarbone. From the tell-tale feeling of Kyuubi's chakra surging through her body furiously, despite the hand that pierced through the center of stomach, the fox was desperately trying to reverse the damage. The state of the seal was an anomaly in and of itself as, while the flesh that bore it was stripped away by the Chidori, the demon still obviously remained bound to her.

With the boy's arm still through her gut, it impeded the fox's efforts to heal her. She grey weaker with every second as her debilitated body hung from the limb, the agonizing support draining her of her strength. Another wave of searing pain swept over her when his hand jerked slightly.

She forced her eyes to remain on his, but they wavered from fatigue and the strange, six-pointed stars that formed within the eerie irises. She did not know what the change in his eyes meant but didn't bother to ponder on it as she struggled to stay conscious. Her eyelids kept drooping shut without her consent and she had trouble peeling them open with willpower alone.

Strangely, she began to calm. The pain numbed.

She hoped it was merely from the shock instead of a sign that she was dying.

The instigator of her suffering swallowed once more. His arm was beginning to tremble from flesh constricting around it and the constant force of gravity trying to drag down his former friend into the depths below. He considered apologizing to the crippled blonde, but the thought was ridiculous. The deed was done with the will to complete it. The kunoichi's reluctance to fight him with the intent to kill only sped up the process.

The heavens began to weep.

Finally regathering his wits, he watched her go limp and inhaled heavily. Her heartbeat was far too weak to feel, and his eyes inflamed as his mind decided her dead. He started to withdraw his arm and murmured somberly to his defeated adversary, "I told you that I would sever those bonds, dobe. . ."

He blankly observed her tossed body fall into the waterfall, the blonde being pulled down faster by the falling torrent. He then raised his bloodied hand.

His fingers brushed scratched metal and seconds later his headband trailed after her, symbolizing the last remnants of their friendship.

A familiar emotion rose within him as he raised his hand to cover one of his eyes as it reached the pinnacle of its transformation faster than the other. He knew exactly what it was. He had felt it before.

Loss. It was the one wound that left no cut, no burn on his exterior. It flooded throughout his body in such a way that it's origins were unknown, as hidden as a subtle poison snaking through his body and warping his mind.

Only when both Naruko and the headband descended down the waterfall and into the plunge pool did he turn away. Gliding down, he landed painfully on his ancestor's side of the valley and stood there with his back to the river. He decided the pain from his injuries were nothing in the wake of his crime.

Nothing could compare to the price he paid for power.

_Am I just like him?_ he wondered numbly.

_"Foolish little brother. . ."_

The words echoed all around him, tormenting him. Sasuke spared a quick glance at the raging waters, clutching the arm soaked in soaked in Naruko's blood. He half-expected, half-hoped she would rise up from the depths like a phoenix and do as she had threatened: break his limbs and drag him back to Konoha by force.

His eyes stung, and he knew it wasn't just because of his Sharingan transcending. He finally forced himself to look away, abandoning the valley.

_Anything for power._

Several moments later a deep glow illuminated below the waterfall.

* * *

The pounding of the rain, footsteps, and the loud rumble of engines and whir of tires resonated dully in Kyouko's ears. The thirteen-year-old walked side-by-side with her mother and was careful not to stray from beneath the umbrella the older woman held tightly.

Grey clouds rolled, looking like a blanket of dark smoke, and thunder boomed. The sky lit up as lightning crashed far off. The weather did not cause much alarm for Kanata and her daughter. Both hurried regardless, not wishing to get a cold from the sudden downpour. Kyouko huddled into the warmth of her jacket, her short hair clinging to her forehead and nape. The weather painted a somber mood for all beneath the heavy rain. She stared at the sky, an uneasy feeling tugging at her gut.

She had an unsettling premonition: Things were going to change. Something big was about to happen. Kyouko knew this, but could not predict what. That alone bugged her.

Her mother glanced at her worriedly as the girl brushed her wet locks from her face with a strange expression, "Is something wrong Kyouko?"

Kyouko merely smiled and shook her head, masking her unease and replying, "Nothing." _Yet,_ her subconsciousness concluded. She forced away the unease and kept in step with her mother.

". . . forecast said there was only a thirty-five percent chance . . . not a thunderstorm. . ." Kanata muttered, gaining a small smile from Kyouko.

* * *

A thud resounded and Naruko slammed into wet, dirty pavement. She rolled end-over-end before crashing headfirst into a brick wall and causing a trashcan to spill its contents upon the wet alley floors. A small trail of blood followed after the blonde, several splotches appearing where her body made contact with on the alley floor.

She slumped against the ground in the tattered remains of her beloved neon-orange jumpsuit. Choking and hacking up water, she attempted to move. The blonde only managed to fall onto her side. As the jinchuuriki stilled, any random person to walk by would think her dead. She breathed very faintly in testament to that.

Blood was splattered all along the orange jumpsuit in worrying amounts. Two gaping tears could be seen in the fabric on her shoulder and stomach; if anyone saw her back they would find an identical set.

Despite there being naught but a scar upon her revealed shoulder, a large, fist-shaped hole laid on her abdomen, burns in the shape of lightning branching outwards from it. The bright, unzipped jacket and the shirt she wore underneath was hanging by the seams. Long and wild blonde tresses had come undone from its simple ponytail and portions of her face from view as rainwater dripped from it.

A headband rested near her. It had a rectangular slab of metal attached to the dark blue cloth and a leaf-shaped symbol engraved on it. A scratch lanced across the insignia as if carved by a knife.

Naruko's eyelashes fluttered. Two gems of sapphire peered out wearily beneath her hair but she saw nothing. Her gaze was as unfocused as the thoughts wandering about in her depressive haze. Blood trickled down from her scalp from where she had collided with the wall. Pain disoriented her and confusion muddled her mind. Shock and her weakened limbs kept her from trying to get up again.

_. . . He really tried to kill me._

Abstractly, Naruko knew that she should have been dead, _would_ have been dead if it weren't for the Kyuubi. Her hesitance to fight Sasuke honestly could have easily lead to her death—no_._ It would have been the reason she died, for despite all her childish antics Naruko was and still is a powerful shinobi. How else would she manage to avoid the ANBU after pulling off such a wide-scale prank as the defacement of the Hokage Mountain itself? In broad daylight? Or defeat the one-tailed demon and his container?

Naruko had fought on par with the Uchiha while holding back, only resorting to the use of the fox's chakra when Sasuke utilized the Curse Seal and reduced himself to that monstrous appearance with equally terrible strength. Despite his transformation, she still could have succeeded in defeating the Uchiha if only she had not pulled back.

Still, those were "if onlys". Dwelling on them wasn't going to help her in this situation—not where she had been whisked away by glowing waters and into this strange place. The discomfort of being tugged through sludge accompanied her, pulling her into this bizarre realm with horribly loud beasts that roared to and fro in the distance. Her olfactory sense were awash with putrid scents, courtesy of the garbage littering around her vulnerable form.

Gaining some awareness she felt faint traces of Kyuubi's chakra surging through her, healing her, but definitely not at the rate it usually could. Ignoring that, she took stock of her unfavorable and still dimming situation.

She still could not move. Her mind kept drifting farther and farther away as exhaustion set in and made her very flesh and bones feel like lead. Her vision was blurring. Her sight was a blend of yellow, orange, and a dull, dirty grey; then it all ebbed away to make way for the enroaching darkness. While her hearing grew muffled she still managed to hear somebody cry out. The noise sounded out like she was underwater and sinking, voices garbled and undistinguishable.

Before she was tucked off into unconsciousness, she mustered enough of clarity to cling on and call out mentally into the fog of her mind.

_Kyuubi. . .?_

For only a few moments—more than enough time for the demon fox to answer—there was only silence.

And then Uzumaki Naruko closed her eyes and embraced slumber, feeling more alone than she has ever had before.

* * *

Both mother and daughter had heard the thumps, followed by the clatter of tin and the noise of a body slamming against a wall. Kyouko ran off, just a bit ahead of Kanata, to see what happened, only to halt as soon as she reached the alley entrance, eyes wide. Her gaze locked onto the orange figure and saw a girl—bloody, beaten and bruised—laying on the ground, unconscious.

"Mom! T-There's someone here—she's hurt!" Kyouko cried in a panic after investigating the sounds originating from between the two shops. She vaguely noticed it was a kid, probably younger than her. T

They both scrambled to help her.

"Oh God." Kanata breathed as she crouched down to check on her. Dirt, bruises and blood smudged the blonde's pale skin. Upon seeing deep penetration in her chest, she gasped in horror. It looked like something pierced her chest and charred it along the way, what with the lightly burned flesh around it.

While her mother assessed the situation, Kyouko panicked. Blood coated the girl's front—_and oh, let's not forget that a giant, freaking HOLE is in her gut! _Kyouko finally had a reason to understand why she felt that foreboding earlier. She ran her hands through her hair and distractedly realized she was shaking and not from the cold. Kyouko had seen such things on television, but experiencing it in real life was a different matter altogether. Her skin paled and she averted her eyes, not wanting to look at the blonde's injured state. "Mom, what do we do? Is she dead?"

As her daughter panicked, Kanata acted quickly. She took out her phone and dialed 119 to alert the hospital and authorities to the problem. Once she had answered all the questions and told them where they were, she hung up and took comfort in the fact that an ambulance on the way. She then surveyed the unconscious form to see if there was anyway she could help.

From what she could see, the only truly fatal wound was the penetration of her stomach. Peculiarly, the scorched skin surrounding it arranged itself in a strange, lightning-like pattern that stretched outwards from the middle of the blonde's stomach. Kanata also saw black markings but they were too faint and obscured by the burns to make out.

Tucking the blonde's long, damp hair back, Kanata saw that blood had crawled out from her hairline and ran over a closed eye and a whiskered (Kanata just realized she had birthmarks—or were they scars?) cheek.

"Why would anyone do such a thing?" she mumbled, taking out a clean tissue from her purse and making gentle swipes along the girl's face to free it of the blood. She could just imagine the pain she had went through as she took in that, while even in sleep, the blonde held an anguished expression. "How are you still breathing?"

Thoughts rushed through her head as she watched her. Where was the girl's family? Were they terrified, worried? Who did this and why? Will she make it?

Glancing back, she saw that Kyouko calmed down, but she held an anxious expression on her face as she paced. She was talking to Tsukune on her phone, as her mother could vaguely hear his voice filtered through the speakers. He was obviously speaking very loud. There were a few people crowding at the mouth of the alley. A few whispers of concern appeared here and there. Some of the more sympathetic ones went towards her, offering any help they could provide.

Sirens were soon heard. She felt a small bit of relief but continued her vigil over the girl. When the ambulance arrived, she kept thinking the wound on the unconscious blonde's stomach looked smaller than when she first saw it.

* * *

A groan pushed past her lips.

Eyes that were once shut tight opened, squinting and blinking rapidly at the intrusive brightness of her surroundings. "Ouch," she murmured. Her skull felt like it was going to split open, and everything was so nauseatingly white she thought she was dead.

Then she heard the beeping in the background.

Some instinct made her body jolt and she hissed when she attempted to shoot up, clutching her abdomen as it made its painful protest in the wake of her motion. _Definitely not dead,_ she noted sarcastically. All instinct that surfaced receded at the throbbing twinges in her gut. Gingerly sitting back when no immediate danger presented itself, she looked over her bedridden form.

She could feel think bandages wrapped from her waist to just below her breasts underneath the hospital gown. The material also circled her skull. _What happened to me?_

Her hand reached up and fingered the white cloth—she felt she was missing something important. The smell of anesthetics was thick in her nostrils. She looked around and saw the machine that resonated the irritating beeping sound, and the zigzagging line looked familiar. She recognized it as a heart monitor.

She sat on a hospital bed, some sort of tube attached to her wrist. Positioned at the bedside were two chairs. A large black box with a screen hung on the wall directly in front of her. Vague noise filtered in through the cracked door.

_Where am I? Some kind of hospital?_ Weird, she couldn't recall ever being in a hospital before.

Then, as she pondered on it,_ I can't remember anything!_

Except for her name.

_What happened to me? How did I get here? Why can't I remember anything else?_ Briefly, the monitor with the squiggly green line spiking. It resumed its steady beeping as she stamped down on all her alarm. Thinking on it made her head ache worse, and Naruko settled back into the bed when she realized she would not be able to get up without the risk of upsetting her wounds.

She turned her head, catching a slice of sunlight hitting her face. Naruko squinted and raised an arm to shield her face.

Her spot on the bed gave her a clear view through the large window she just now noticed, although it was only through the sterile white colored blinds. She lifted her other arm and barely managed to grab the drawstring. With slight effort, she pulled them up enough to see outside.

What she saw made her breath hitch for a lengthy stretch of time.

Pillars of concrete and glass stretched high into the dark sky with colorful, glowing signs that shined and flickered from them. Down below she took in the both huge, wide and narrow yellow-striped roads occupied by large, rumbling metal vehicles. The strips of hard, dark rock canvassed the large city as far as she could see.

On the sidewalks, varying types of people walked, but the majority, she realized, had dark hair. Others had different shades. Naruko lingered on one with pink. An unexplainable sense of nostalgia and failure threatened to overwhelm her. She drew a deep breath, throat catching.

A name lingered on the tip of her tongue.

Sadly, it was forgotten as soon as her mind acknowledged it. Feeling frustrated, she nibbled on lip as her eyebrows knitted together. The tension in her arm strained her, so she shut the blinds halfway before letting go of the string and relaxing back into her pillow. She used the ceiling as an inadequate substitute to look at.

As she ignored the tempo mimicking her heartbeat, the noise circulating all around her snatched up her attention. Voices rose or fell in conversation and shoes tapped loudly on tiled floors as people walked the halls. It was difficult to pinpoint where they were all coming from with so many echoing throughout the immense building she was in. Even the floors below her had sounds resonating from them. A sort of comical song was playing from the one below her.

So focused on the laughable singing below she barely noticed when two pairs of footsteps halted at the door leading to her hospital room. Her eyes shot to it and she sat up again. With clunk the door opened, releasing a squeaky creak.

Two women, one obviously younger—barely a teenager—and slightly shorter, stared at her in surprise. Both had similar features, including dark hair. The eyes were different though, and she noted the smaller looked more tomboyish than what she assumed was her mother. Her hair was shorter and her clothes seemed less feminine.

The blonde merely blinked at them and tilted her head to the side slightly, perfectly and unintentionally imitating an adorable, clueless child.

"Uh, hi. . .?" Naruko offered dumbly as they just stood there.

The older raven-haired woman, who also had a few age-lines, finally reacted. She sat in one of the chairs beside her bed, smiling gently. "Hello. My name is Kanata, and my daughter here is Kyouko. What's your name?"

Slightly surprised, Naruko decided being polite to the woman and fulfilled her request. "Naruko." The blonde shifted her gaze as the other girl, Kyouko, mimicked her mother and sat in the remaining chair, her gaze concerned but grinning broadly as she offered her own greeting, to which Naruko returned hesitantly. "Do you know how I got here?"

Kanata clasped her hands together loosely. "Yesterday, we found you in an alley unconscious. You were hurt pretty badly so I called 119 so an ambulance could come and pick you up to take you to the hospital. I'm actually a little shocked you're awake right now; the doctor's said you may not wake up for days with all those injuries."

Naruko face showed confusion. She'd been hurt? That was probably why she couldn't remember anything. She didn't know what "119" or an "ambulance" meant either, but Kanata wasn't finished speaking.

"Do you know what happened or see who did this? The police are still investigating the scene, but there are very little clues as to who attacked you."

They watched as Naruko struggled to recall anything from before she woke up. It was obviously difficult and for Naruko she was just groping blindly in the dark for fraying strands. After failing, she shook her head miserably.

"Are you sure?" Kanata pressed gently, only receiving a nod in response. "You hit your head pretty hard, so I guess it is to be expected. Do you know your family name or how old you are? What school you go to?"

At that, the bedridden girl opened her mouth. Then she closed it. Frustration showed on her face.

Finally, she said, "I'm. . . twelve. School, uhh. . ." Naruko's face soured, and not only from not being able to remember anything.

Kyouko spoke up, "We're about the same age then, and it looks like we both have the same idea about the educational prison." She smiled in an attempt to distract disheartened girl. It worked a little. The smile pulling at whiskered cheeks made Naruko look adorable.

After a brief discussion, Kanata informed Naruko that she would be released from the hospital in about a month—if all goes well and she recovers from the trauma her body suffered (she left out the part where it was a miracle Naruko even survived), and that the police would likely visit to speak with her.

Currently any family or guardian she had were yet to be found. If none could be located there was the possibility that Naruko could be put in an orphanage.

Hearing that, Naruko felt terrified, just as much as waking up without any knowledge of, well, anything. The idea of being put in an orphanage sparked an ache within her chest. Her visible upset had Kanata feeling sorry for the poor girl.

Kanata and Kyouko left later on when a nurse came to change her bandages, leaving Naruko with a sense of loneliness. She managed to ignore it and found entertainment in the weird anime on the television. Sadly, that only lasted so long.

It was later on that the blonde eventually discovered that she did NOT like hospitals. The smell of chemicals, blood, and the fact that she could not get out of bed barring from going to the restroom left her feeling very bored and restless a large part of the time. The urge to just jump up and run had her assuming she was a pretty active person. It also lead to her being chased down by the nurses. The staff often had to watch her carefully to keep her from slipping out of her room to explore after that.

The doctors, upon replacing her bandages on the tenth day, expressed astonishment at her quick recovery. Most of her injuries were gone. Most didn't even leave a scar. The hole in her navel had quickly begun healing itself and the process was further quickened by the effects of modern day medicine, but it was unlikely that it too would leave without a mark.

Naruko did not really understand their wonder at her speedy recovery. Their constant looks of fascination made her feel like a specimen. It bothered her. At least the next day it looked like they all forgot about it. She could do without the blank expressions, but she'd take what she could get.

For the past month, Kyouko and Kanata visited her once every day—sometimes twice. Naruko was very thankful for them. They actually came back on their own (why was that so weird to her?) and relieved her of the daily boredom and loneliness. Naruko particularly enjoyed baiting Kyouko, to the amusement of Kanata. Needless to say, despite getting into a few childish arguments, the two girls were fast becoming best friends.

The police had visited her the first week of her stay at the hospital, just as Kanata predicted. It didn't go so great.

Not bothering with pleasantries, they immediately began questioning her. They apparently had found little to no evidence except for a single item—from which they acquired DNA that was not hers—that they placed in a bag (thusly christened as "evidence" in sharpie, Naruko saw) and brought along to see if she could recognize it.

"It" was a scratched headband.

Upon seeing it, images and words flashed through her mind, although most were indecipherable. The main one that remained at the forefront of her mind was the word shinobi.

A pair of crimson eyes had enveloped her vision after the word had echoed in her head, starry pupils spinning treacherously within.

She felt. . . betrayed.

As quickly as they came, the fragmented, vague memories fled and left her with a piercing headache. She was unable to remember nothing except for that word.

She snapped irritably at the police when they continued to press despite her obvious discomfort, "If I remembered anything, I would, but unfortunately I can't. Honestly, if it would get you guys out of my room, I would tell you anything if I actually knew something about this! Leave me alone already, geez!"

She was a twelve year old girl—probably—and amnesiac to boot. She might have addressed them wrongly, but seriously, what the hell were they thinking badgering her? How many times would she have to say that she didn't remember until it sunk into their heads?

No matter how much they tried to drag it out of her, she was unable to give them an answer. Then they had left, upset by their unsuccessful attempt at gathering information, but not before they agreed to her request to keep the headband as they had more than enough time to gather data from it.

After that tiring debacle, she kept the headband on her at all times, finding it far more familiar to her than the surroundings she was confined to for the past few days. She always had it either wrapped around her forehead to keep her wild bangs out of the way or loosely tied around her neck. Sometimes it hurt to look at it, but Naruko didn't care. If it could make her remember like it did with that word "shinobi", then she would endure.

There were still no leads as to who Naruko's family was or what background she may have had. The possibility of her going to an orphanage progressively grew into what seemed like the inevitable as the last week neared its end far too soon in her opinion. Despite that fact, Naruko did her best not to allow it to affect her during the Aono's visits. Kanata noticed this—barely—during the last two days as Naruko and Kyouko bantered. The blonde was trying to distract herself and it showed with how her grins seemed just the tiniest bit forced.

Naruko was quite skilled in bearing a grin instead of a frown—it was easier.

Nearing the end of the month, Kanata wondered what to do. Naruko had quickly grown on her, despite not even knowing her long, and it was plain to see that Kyouko had taken to her too when observing the extra bounce in her step when they were going to visit.

The girl was strange, but not in a bad way. The blonde's personality showed that she was blunt, mischievous, and dense at times, but honest. She was rambunctious like a child with just as much energy as one, if not more. Even so, she was not insensitive or selfish. She once slipped out of her room to help soothe a small kid wandering around who just had his mother put in the ER and had gotten separated from his family in his distraught state.

The weird thing was how Naruko was mystified by many everyday things, while some she already knew about. Kanata found it unusual that she could remember some things but not others, like how she knew what a movie was but not a television. On one occasion the whiskered teen went down an elevator with a nurse and jumped when it started moving, showing just how ignorant she was to some things.

Kanata enjoyed the rapt attention Naruko could display when being told something new and interesting, although the blonde tended to show her dislike to anything related to written tests as Kanata found out by giving Naruko a small quiz to stave of her boredom. Regardless of her dislike, Naruko focused on it well enough to want to pass it when Kanata encouraged her and claimed that she was certain she'd do well. She passed after forcing herself to study with books she reluctantly requested from Kyouko, barely scraping by, but it was enough. It was very obvious she was more of a kinesthetic learner rather than one who learned from lectures or books.

Kanata had also discovered, unfortunately, that upon bringing the blonde some cup ramen Naruko gained an unhealthy obsession with it. It was only something easy to make, just to avoid the hospital food. Kanata had no idea the damage her mistake would cause.

The blonde didn't chew, she _inhaled_ the broth and finished in a minute at _most_. Then she went right to the next one if there was another. After finding out just how many she could eat in a row Kanata found herself praying she would get burned off of it, lest Naruko's addiction burned through her wallet. She was honestly surprised Naruko's stomach didn't bulge from all the salty noodles. In fact, the small girl didn't even seem to gain any weight from it, which Kanata found a bit unfair as a woman who found herself watching what she ate to make sure she didn't gain any unnecessary flab, or visits to the gym.

Naruko even revealed a weird verbal tic one day. Kyouko took full advantage by teasing the blonde of it. When she first heard "dattebane," slipping unaware from Naruko in a moment of excitement while watching anime, the teal-eyed girl ended up snorting, before breaking into outright giggles and prompting a blush from the whiskered teen and a humored smile from Kanata. Safe to say, Naruko was now wary of saying it around her dark-haired friend.

All in all, Naruko fun, and growing dear to them both.

Still, Kanata could not help but be hesitant to act on her fledgling idea. She might just be getting ahead of herself. There was no official information on Naruko despite her apparent age and given name, besides her new medical records. Where were her family and friends? More importantly, how did Naruko even end up in this situation? There was also the question if the girl even desired to accept such a life changing option.

"Wow, you really suck at drawing," Kyouko teased the blonde lightly, in a manner Naruko wouldn't take to heart. The blonde's eyes narrowed into a playful glare. They sat in the hospital room, only a day until Naruko would be released. Kyouko and Naruko were hanging out, both trying out artistic expression today.

Naruko set down the notebook covered in doodles and the pencil Kanata gave her before quickly taking the pillow behind her and throwing it at Kyouko. It smacked the teal-eyed right in the face even though she ducked.

The whiskered girl gave a loud laugh as the pillow hit the floor and revealed Kyouko's aggravated expression. "Like you're any better. At least I don't do stick figures."

"Oi, you little midget!"

A vein throbbed. "I am _not_ a midget!" Naruko snapped heatedly, before smirking. "At least I'm not an over bloated pig like you!"

The grit of teeth followed this remark. "What did you just say?"

"What, have you already forgotten when you tried to put your fat, dirty hands on my ram—oh, no."

"C'mere, you!"

"Get your meaty paws away from me!"

Kanata laughed. Even though Kyouko was darting across the room to unsuccessfully capture Naruko (almost fully recovered besides the large, scab on her stomach), both girls had smirks on their faces. The whiskered girl's quickly stretched her lips into an awfully fox-like grin. She then easily slipped away from Kyouko's grip and proceeded to tickle Kyouko's sides, much to said friend's horror.

Naruko's laughter filled the room when Kyouko ended up tripping, going face first into the hospital bed in her haste to escape Naruko's relentless onslaught.

Kanata's smile widened, and she decided.


	2. Enter: Aono Naruko!

**On healing: **Naruko is still going to heal faster than average, but destroyed tissue doesn't come back because it's, y'know, _destroyed. _The lightning from when Sasuke punched through her cauterized the edges of the wound, while the rest had to heal, albeit at a faster rate than average humans, and replace the lost tissue with new tissue. Also consider the fact that Sasuke's arm was in the way the whole time, screwing with Kurama's efforts. Kurama accelerated that process before the leap into this world, but that was it. That is why she has the scar. I was always aggravated that Naruto, in canon, never gained any, so I've done what any fanfiction author does and wrote this the way I want it to go.

**Naruko's Strength: **Naruko has been in the Rosario Vampire world for three years and all she had to fight were average humans. She has no knowledge of her origins or capabilities, so while she's still more durable than average humans, she's used to fighting human bullies—not monsters—and monsters are a lot stronger and faster than humans. Naruko is, simply put, out of shape compared to her shinobi self.

* * *

Enter: Aono Naruko!

The glass windows of the coffee shop allowed outsiders to behold the simple, yet pleasant, view inside. Circular tables sat upon single poled stands, each nearly filled with customers either bleary eyed or smiling over the rim of their choice of morning pick-me-up brew. Manning the register was a rather simple and short girl, if you ignored her delinquent shade of blonde hair and the animalistic whisker marks adorning her cheeks.

Tucking one of her unruly, somewhat spiky locks behind one ear, Naruko looked up from her manga at the jingle of a bell. She beamed at the sight of her sister. "Kyouko, what brings you here? Just so you know, you're not getting any free coffee this time."

Ignoring the last sentence, Kyouko sidled up to the front of the counter. "What other reason could there be besides checking on my vertically challenged lil' sis?" Kyouko replied, teasing the blonde behind the counter.

Naruko narrowed her eyes. "You're lucky I'm on shift," she growled. "I still have some super glue, mouse traps, and a wig left."

Wincing in remembrance of Naruko's recent string of pranks, Kyouko held her hands out in surrender. "Okay, okay I'll keep the height jokes to a minimum. For now." Joining her sister behind the counter, the taller girl slung an arm over Naruko in a side hug. "Shift's over though. I saw Tsukasa on my way here. She's letting you off early." Noting Naruko's lack of enthusiasm at being released from work sooner than usual, Kyouko drew her in with a shake and a noogie. "C'mon, you work too much as it is. With all those club activities you have with kendo and karate you're lucky you even managed to graduate this year. Take a break."

Sighing, Naruko nodded when she saw Tsukasa, her boss, come in. She retreated from the register, handed Tsukasa the keys to it, and walked out with her manga. Kyouko dragged her out by the wrist. "Where are we going? Suzuka's?"

Kyouko didn't so much as pause, but she did glance back and look at her like she was stupid. Which she wasn't, or well, maybe a little. But that was only because she hated studying! It's not like it was unusual anyways. "I don't know about you—wait, actually I do—but I'm hungry. I'll treat you to some ramen." Kyouko decided. "But only one or two bowls. I don't work like you do."

Naruko stuck out her tongue. "Maybe you should. Aren't you getting a little fluffy from sitting around and playing those RPG dating sims?" She raised a brow playfully.

"Guh!" Kyouko choked and went red with annoyance. "Like you're one to talk, with you being a living vacuum for _salt_ noodles! How are you not fat?!"

"Don't insult ramen with your blasphemous tone!"

Kyouko rolled her eyes, reflecting on her sister and the irony that spawned from her working at the same coffee shop that Kanata and her mom were going to when they found Naruko. She never would have expected Naruko to be a busybody, but she guessed it made sense. Naruko was never one for sitting still, whether it was for studying or taking a break. Naruko could be quite serious when she felt like it. She noticed the manga in her younger sister's hand.

"Claymore?" she asked. "Weren't you ranting about it last time?"

Naruko looked down at the book in her hands. "Yeah. I was just frustrated. Good characters always die." And for some reason, Jean's sacrifice hit close to home. "Anyways. . ." she glanced at Kyouko, "About school. . ."

Kyouko tilted her head. "Oh? What's this?" the elder sister mockingly gasps. "Naruko's bringing up her most hated enemy! Have scientists managed to produce pigs with wings?"

"Shut it," Naruko groaned. She twisted out from beneath Kyouko's arm with a huff. "I don't think my grades are going to land me into a good school. I sent my applications in but. . ." Naruko hung her head in defeat. "I panicked and probably failed to get in any of them, and with school supposed to be starting soon. . ."

Settling her gaze upon her resigned sibling, Kyouko arched a brow. "Come on, you studied really hard for once. You may get more C's than B's, but that's still passing. I'm sure you'll do fine."

Naruko just tugged at the scratched headband around her neck.

* * *

"Oh, come on!"

Naruko growled while Kyouko was torn between pity and the tugging at her stomach that hinted at her impending urge to laugh. The way Naruko threw tantrums at pieces of paper was just comical.

"It's not that bad, really—we can find a public school or something." their mother Kanata said. "The good thing is that you tried. I know you would have passed, but it's common for people to panic. It's fine."

"I guess. I'm going to go to my room now, if that's okay?" Getting affirmation, she trudged up the stairs, sullen. She made her way to her room and plopped onto the bed.

The blonde huffed in frustration. They didn't know she had spent several nights in deep study, sacrificing her exercises and manga to prepare for the exams. The chance that she failed them was slim, so why? She wanted to stay with Suzuka, seeing as Suzuka and her were planning to attend whatever school that would let the two of them in. Maybe that was a little reckless, but they weren't inclined to separate, considering they were best friends, and Suzuka was her only friend. Kyouko didn't count, because they were sisters now.

Naruko frowned in disappointment. Suzuka was pretty unique, seeing as she wasn't put off by Naruko's distant behavior when the blonde was first introduced into the educational prison of an institute—school—and managed to slip herself into Naruko's life. With her bright blonde hair and whiskers, Naruko looked like a thug and was treated as such. Being from a well-to-do family, Himemiya Suzuka was obviously very polite, just as one might expect from a wealthy family that wasn't one to flaunt their wealth, and that had played to her advantage. Ignoring what appeared to be delinquent characteristics, she persistently went out of her way to smile at Naruko and extend an olive branch to the walking contradiction of an exuberant, ramen-loving loner. Wary of foul play, Naruko wasn't certain it was an honest offer of friendship until Suzuka intimidated several boys speaking ill of Naruko because of her tomboyish behavior. Nice girls could have scary expressions too, after all.

After that, they had clicked like any adopted, amnesiac tomboy and a proper heiress did—like magnets. Suzuka handled the talking and Naruko handled the more, ahem, physical encounters if anyone had anything bad to say about it. They ensured they had most obligatory classes together in school and spent most of their days together with Kyouko, up to various shenanigans that consisted of Naruko getting into mischief with her brash personality and Kyouko or Suzuka using their own unique methods to get of it—Kyouko's just meant a lot of running while calling Naruko a dolt. Eventually they'd all just end up sprawling out at either of their houses, laughing at the close calls. In Suzuka's case, it was more of a polite giggle.

Good times.

Frowning, the blonde wondered what to do. She supposed it was time to check out the public schools near here. Not enthusiastic in the slightest, Naruko was about to get on the computer when her phone rang, playing a song from the vocaloid Luka Megurine. Startled, Naruko shoved a hand in her pocket to retrieve it and answered.

"Hello?" Naruko blinked as the speaker warbled in her ear, her boss' voice filtering into her ear. "What? I wasn't expecting anything, why. . . alright. I'll come by and pick it up. Thanks."

Hearing the click that signaled the end of the call, Naruko withdrew it from her ear and eyed it like it was the English textbook she had been told to study once—something alien.

"Huh. Weird."

A priest?

* * *

Kyouko shook her head.

"That uniform is just terrible. There's just nothing, no excuse."

Rolling her eyes, Naruko scratched her cheek as Kanata righted her shirt's collar. "Well I think it's fine."

"Naruko, you love the color orange for crying out loud."

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

Naruko felt uncomfortable in the jacket and had shed it the moment she put it on, trading it in for vest that didn't clash to badly with the plaid skirt. She wished she could've asked for the boy's uniform. She didn't like the exposure she felt from the skirt, so she just put on some cycling shorts beneath it to feel more comfortable. When released from Kanata's grip Naruko fiddled with her orange bag as Kyouko and their mother appraised the blonde's appearance.

Naruko had her hair tied in a simple low ponytail, still spiky and untamed. The headband was still around her neck. She had her bag and that new, nervous student look about her. Smiling, Kyouko punched Naruko's shoulder. "Everything's in order, so toughen up and make sure to keep in contact, got it? Don't get expelled for getting caught doing pranks." Grumbling and rubbing her shoulder, Naruko nodded while fighting back a smile. "Anyone bugs you, give 'em that good old Naruko-fashioned hell."

Kanata swatted her lightly in the back of the head for her language.

That got a snigger out of the younger sibling. "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Kanata fretted, uneasy about not seeing Naruko every day when she returned home from school. "I agree with everything she said though, except for the language." Pulling Naruko into a hug, she breathed into the short girl's hair. "You'd better call, message, or even write. I'll be cross if you don't!"

Naruko nodded, relaxed in her mother's embrace. "I promise, dattebane!" Getting smiles, Kanata released Naruko into Kyouko's arms.

"You better keep it, spitfire." Kyouko said.

The rumble of a bus caught their attention. It rolled to a stop in front of them. The doors creaked open and revealed a man chewing on a cigar. Features shadowed by his cap, he faced forward. "Youkai Academy?" he asked.

Getting that form for an academy outside the city was bizarre, considering it appeared at her workplace. It was pretty official looking, though. It could be some attempt at kidnapping or human trafficking, but her cousin Tsukune Aono got one too. He refused to go, because his studying sessions with Naruko actually paid off and he didn't panic during the high school entrance exams like she did. Oh, well. She could handle some school in the middle of nowhere by herself just fine, thank you.

"Yeah." Turning to her family one last time, she gave a nervous smile, and waved. "Bye Mom, Kyouko. I love you. Be safe and watch out for Suzuka for me, will ya?"

Getting nods and a chorus of 'bye, love you' in their own unique manners, Naruko twisted in place and hopped onto the steps of the bus. The door creaked closed.

Immediately, she saw the bus driver's bright eyes peering at her from beneath his cap. It was weird that she hadn't noticed the glare from the light in them earlier. The way they locked onto her made her temporarily uneasy.

"I hope you're prepared, kid. Youkai Academy can be a scary place." He chuckled, like there was some joke she hadn't been let in on.

Shuddering and refusing to ask what he meant from the various warnings of 'don't talk to strangers!' that Kanata forced her to endure sparking in her head, she went to take her seat and noticed she was the only one on the bus. Thoroughly creeped out, she pushed his laughter out of his mind and chose a seat, sidling toward the window to observe their route.

Several minutes passed in silence until the bus made its way to a tunnel. Nothing was unusual about it until Naruko jolted in her seat, gasping.

The walls of the tunnel lit up.

"What the hell is this. . .?" she muttered, confused.

The bus driver grinned. "It's easier to ignore it. Trust me." Naruko could see his teeth in the mirror rearview mirror. He was watching her beneath his hat and she sat stiffly in response.

The walls passed them by at a sedate pace, the tires a steady hum beneath the bus floors as the vehicle rattled. _Toughen up_. Naruko thought to herself, not willing to display her emotions to the creepy driver. Using the same philosophy that helped her ignore the bullies at school, she returned to staring mindlessly out the window. _Am I being pranked?_ she wondered dully. The tunnel still dazzled her with its strange, shifting hues of dark colors. It was beginning to bother her eyes.

The light blinded her when the bus exited the tunnel, bright and pure sun. She blinked as the bus came to a stop at a pumpkin headed scarecrow, and arrow pointing in some direction while a sign said: YOUKAI ACADEMY THAT WAY.

A crow twisted its head, resting on the scarecrow's arm. A red eye focused on her, even through the glass. Despite the bus, the bird remained seated on its perch, unruffled.

_Some weird Halloween decoration that someone forgot to put away? _She eyed the pumpkin.

"We're here?"

Puffing on his cigar, the bus driver confirmed it. "Yep. And kid?" he said as she got up, garnering her attention. "Remember what I said. This place can be frightening." As soon as he said that, his grin widened.

Unsure of whether to take him seriously, she got off the bus. It sped off and she held her breath to prevent herself from taking the dust into her lungs. She glared as it disappeared back into the glowing tunnel.

With a twitchy smile of disbelief, Naruko muttered beneath her breath, "The tunnel lit up, there's a pumpkin scarecrow, and the water is red. RED." This seemed too elaborate to be a prank. She saw what appeared to be a mansion on the cliff across the water. It looked like it could have ghosts. She shivered, before ignoring the chills waltzing down her spine. She never liked the idea of ghosts.

Rubbing her face, Naruko looked at the scarecrow and the arrow, before looking off into the field of gnarled trees poking out like jagged spears, gray and withered and just flat out dead. She glanced at the sign one more time, before sighing in resignation as she started of towards the woods, shuddering once more.

"I swear to Kami if a ghost pops out. . ."

She followed the trail and kept an eye out for anything else that decided to creep her out. So far, there was only an odd bat, but it failed to scare her. Naruko scratched at her neck. Maybe there wouldn't be anymore freakiness. She cursed the bus driver in her head. _I bet he just wanted to psyche me out, the creep._

A strange noise then reached her ears. Stiffening, she stopped in the middle of the trail and tilted her head back, listening. A whirring sound, like tires, was growing in volume. It sounded like wheels on the ground. It wasn't a vehicle due to the lack of a rumbling engine, so what—

Turning her head just as the crashing foliage erupted, she jumped to the side as a blur of pink squealed, "Watch out!"

A bike flew off the edge of a steep hill and landed awkwardly on the ground, jarring the girl riding it and sending her to the ground. The contraption toppled and skidded a few feet before her. Staring, Naruko just managed to remember proper social codes and jogged towards the girl with pink hair. Offering her hand, Naruko asked in honest concern, "Are you alright?"

Green eyes met hers and an awkward smile flitted across the girl's face as she accepted Naruko's hand and stood sheepishly. "Yes, thank you. I'm so sorry, I'm anemic and I got so dizzy I lost control of the bike. I'm sorry I almost hit you." There was worry on this stranger's face, if not a little fear. Naruko figured it was because the girl was thinking she'd be angry at her.

_Green. _

Nearly shaking her head to clear the fog, Naruko grinned. "No need to apologize since you didn't hit me. It's all good." Naruko noticed her uniform, and wondered if the girl was older. She was taller than Naruko, but then again Naruko was pretty short in general. "Youkai Academy, right? What's your name? Mine's Aono Naruko. Nice to meet'cha."

Moka nodded her head and beamed at her friendly tone. "Akashiya Moka. I'm a freshman. Um, are you, too?"

Naruko nodded. "Mind if I tag with you?" she asked, partly worried that the girl will get dizzy again. Naruko was also not of the mind to refuse company in these creepy woods. Ghosts could be anywhere, and in this forest of dead trees it was even more likely to encounter one.

Meanwhile, Moka was surprised by the blonde girl. She was so nice compared to the humans she had to deal with. She had assumed that a school for yokai would be kinder than the ones in the human world, but for her to already meet someone who wasn't cruel to her? She wondered what kind of monster Naruko was, if it had anything to do with her friendliness, but didn't want to ask so soon in order to avoid offending Naruko. Remembering that Naruko was staring at her in wait for an answer, Moka beamed happily and exclaimed. "Not at all!" Widening her eyes at Naruko's amused expression, she toned down her eagerness. "I mean, I don't mind." Moka blushed.

Naruko smiled up at her. Her smile made the whiskerlike markings more prominent. Moka thought it was absolutely adorable, like a kitten. Were they tattoos? "Great! Let's get going then. I'd rather not be late, yeah?"

Naruko grabbed Moka's bike for her, and Moka wondered if this meant that they were friends.

* * *

"Ugh, this sucks!" Naruko pouted, having lost sight of Moka at the opening ceremony amongst the many taller students (_who asked you to be tall, huh, jerks?!_). She had so far liked the girl's company—she seemed nice and sweet. She appeared to be a little shy though. Naruko didn't know what to think about that, but figured that over time Moka would become more comfortable talking with Naruko without hesitation, instead of glancing at her sometimes for what Moka likely feared to be a negative reaction. Sighing, Naruko figured she'd see Moka around somewhere later and started off for her homeroom class.

It was along the way, jostled by fellow students, that Naruko noticed something strange. Considering the whole journey itself to the academy was like entering a realm of some cheap horror movie, with the academy itself appearing like a gothic compound or an asylum, it didn't seem like anything could get weirder.

But. . .

A student's face morphed into some twist between avian and reptile, peacock blue feathers cropping up in the place of hair and skin melting into glossy purple scales. Their nose lengthened, sharpened, melding into a beak as it joined the mouth. Stunned, Naruko only looked away when a boy bumped into her harshly and when she looked back, ignoring his apologies, she had lost sight of the bird girl's face. Over the heads of some students, however, she could still see the bright feathers.

That couldn't have been some sort of special effects—_this is a school, though_—but what the hell kind of explanation is there? _What is going on? _Naruko wondered. As she absentmindedly continued to her class, seeing even more transformations along the way, people claiming to be creatures of myth, she wondered why she hadn't been let in on this joke. It seemed now that she saw one student seemingly mutate, the easier it was to pay attention to the others.

_This has got to be a joke._

No one else seemed shocked by some students no longer looking even remotely human. No one else looked like they doubted a student saying they were an imp, or a kobold, or any other inhuman sort.

Naruko made it to class before the bell rang, agitated by her confusion. The teacher looked normal enough, thankfully—_is her hair moving by itself?—_and she introduced herself as Nekonome Shizuka. As their sensei began calling roll, the door slid open and Moka sheepishly apologized. Naruko felt relieved at the familiar face, ignoring the fog in her head. When Moka noticed her, her whole face grew bright, but Moka seemed to restrain herself from bounding over._  
__  
Shy, _Naruko mused, glaring at a couple of guys who eyed her friend with ill-meaning grins. Some had their attentions even on her, which was surprising, but she glared at them too. Moka made her way to sit behind her, surprising her with a short but warm hug, and Naruko turned around to share smiles with the pink-haired beauty, momentarily forgetting about the strangeness going on.

Moka leaned forward, somewhat hesitantly. "I'm glad we're in the same class," she whispered, happy.

Naruko returned it, whispering, "Me too." and had to restrain a laugh when Moka's eyes widened. "I'm glad to have a friend here."

Before Naruko could ask why Moka's eyes suddenly started shining, or about the weird ongoings of the students, Nekonome-sensei began announcing typical school rules until one in particular caught her ear and made her freeze in her spot.

". . .and since this is a school for youkai to learn how to coexist with humans, you are to stay in your human forms and are not to reveal what you are to other students. In the human world, you'll need to be able to stay hidden and blend in to avoid the dangers of exposure."

Naruko was rigid in her seat even as another student piped up. Thuggish in appearance with his piercings, his words matched his looks.

"I don't see why we have to hide—we're stronger than them! Wouldn't it just be easier to kill most of them and keep the others for. . . entertainment?" His words oozed malicious intent. A long, pointed tongue slithered out of his mouth to emphasize his words.

Naruko shuddered at the sniffing he was doing. "They smell so good, too. . . we could just eat them." The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Was he talking about her? Is this real? For real? This has to be some prank. Monsters don't exist. _But why in the hell is he talking like that?_

_Yet you believe in ghosts. _Her subconscious snorted at her.

Nekonome's hair moved, and Naruko realized they were ears; cat ears, to be specific. _Go figure_, she wanted to laugh, but was too off-balanced to fully feel the humor in it. They were pinned back, and the sensei opened her eyes to glare coldly at the student, understanding his none too subtle implication. A tail flicked dangerously behind her, the way cats' do when they're agitated.

"Considering the humans outnumber us and can overpower us with their technology, it's not too smart to think like that, _Komiya-san_." she smiled in an off-putting way, making the guy twitch awkwardly in his seat. "With their advanced weaponry and our physical abilities, the war between the two of us would undoubtedly be bloody and it's hard to say if either of us would win."

Her eyes were closed again and the tension in the room dispersed as some students sighed in relief.

Another student, the bookish type, raised their hand. "If we're supposed to coexist with humans, how come none are at this school?"

Nekonome nodded at the question to acknowledge it. "Considering that this is a school for youkai, there are bound to be mistakes. A student might slip up, or another might devour or kill the human students. If a youkai student were to slip up in front of a human, the human would have to be killed to prevent them from returning to their world and attempting to oust youkai. Even to be suspicious of our existence is dangerous, because we are the unknown to them, a risk. Recall the witch hunts—despite having the form of humans, witches were killed due to humans fearing their powers. They even killed other humans under the suspicion that they were witches. Fear is a powerful motivator to committing unjust acts. It's even understandable."

"Understandable?" a boy in the back asked.

"Don't some fear spiders, or snakes?" Nekonome-sensei asked. "Don't some kill them in fear of their appearance, or the risk of what they could do with their fangs? Their poison?"

The class went quiet. Naruko was using all her willpower to take in this information, to listen, even as she wanted to break out into sweat at Komiya eyeing her like a piece of meat. _This is real. Does he know? This is real? It can't be. Does he know? Shit, I can't freak out!_

"Anyhow; humans cannot enter this realm—it is secret and humans aren't capable of coming through themselves for that reason. Any that may ever actually end up here are killed." Nekonome-sensei said. ". . . Or something." she smiled sweetly.

Nekonome-sensei finally began a different topic, tail conveying her enthusiasm, and it was something generic to get a feel for the class, but the words weren't registering.

_I could die. How did I end up here? Why me? Damn. DAMN IT. Calm down. I'm okay, I just need to leave as soon as possible. A.S.A.P. Today, even. I could walk through that tunnel. I don't need the bus. I've got legs—_

Naruko nearly jumped as a finger tapped her shoulder.

She twisted to see Moka's worried green eyes, pink hair shiny from the sun streaking through the windows. "Are you okay, Naruko?" she whispered nearly beneath her breath.

Her tone was genuine, her expression honest. Even though she was anything but calm in the mind, Naruko's body relaxed, a small, but needed luxury. She managed a smile, but Moka's furrowing brows made it more real. "Yeah." Naruko breathed, kind of wanting to laugh. She also sort of wanted to cry like those comically depressed anime characters do. Hilarious.

* * *

Naruko followed Moka to a vending machine, cautious of other students. She just couldn't wrap her head around it yet, that this student or that student could be a mummy or an imp or a werewolf. It felt like a dream. Or a nightmare.

They sat down on a bench, Moka drinking from her can of tomato juice. Naruko had yet to stop staring at the concrete of the sidewalk. Tilting her head, Moka leaned forward so she would be in Naruko's sights. Her pink hair spilled down like a waterfall over her shoulder, nearly touching the ground. "Naruko?"

Green eyes were met with Naruko's indiscernible blue. Moka was staring at her worriedly. "Is there something wrong? In the classroom. . ."

Naruko stopped herself from giving any suspicious reactions. She managed a half smile. "It's nothing," seeing Moka's disbelieving expression, the smile became that much more genuine, that much more honest. "I'm just angry about that Komiya guy." she half-lied. Moka's face actually darkened at the mention of him.

True, Naruko was angry, but she wasn't just angry, and she couldn't just tell the truth. Not here, not to her, not in this monster school with—what even was Moka? Naruko wondered if she was a fairy. Moka was so innocent. But maybe she was stereotyping Moka's personality. Moka could be a bathroom spirit for all she knew. Naruko snickered, unable to believe she thought that. Imagine that, Moka licking the filth off of floors.

Moka jolted from her laugh. "What are you laughing for?"

Naruko's lips twisted painfully, trying to hold it in. She shook her head, and choked out, "Nothing."

Moka pouted. It was a cute one, too. And painful. Naruko's sides hurt. "C'mon, I want to laugh to!" She poked Naruko's side, making her snort and curl away. Moka smiled.

Naruko turned her head to avoid looking at Moka, lips quivering in an awkward grin. She shook her head again.

Moka pouted worse, but then her expression smoothed out. "It's nothing? Really?" Something in her tone made Naruko look up. She saw Moka set down her tomato juice to the side, behind her, and sudden dread shot through Naruko as Moka wiggled her fingers.

Moka asked again, "Really?"

Not willing to bend, Naruko shook her head quickly. Moka grinned at her stubbornness, and lunged. Her fingers jabbed into Naruko's sides. A snort broke free from Naruko's mouth as she arched away, stomach curling. "No!" Naruko squealed. She squirmed and cursed that Moka was similar to Kyouko in their tickling abilities, going for her weaknesses—her waist and hips.

Moka displayed the difference in their strength when she pinned Naruko's wrists together with one hand. The other poked at the smaller girl's abdomen, counting her ribs and dancing along them. Moka managed to keep Naruko from flying off the bench with her grip, and Naruko whimpered with giggles as they raced along her waist. "_Really?_" The pink-haired girl asked innocently.

Naruko finally conceded with, "I give, I give!" and sighed in relief as Moka withdrew. Naruko's face was flushed, cheeks red, and she panted heavily. Seeing that Moka was eyeing her strangely, she asked, "What?" somewhat breathlessly, straightening on the bench to look at Moka.

Moka didn't answer for a moment, eyebrows furrowed again and without a smile. Naruko leaned up, wondering what had changed. They were just laughing a minute ago, right?

"We're friends, right? That's what you said." Moka nearly mumbled, but her voice didn't break, like it sounded it would.

Naruko stared at her in confusion. "Yeah. We are, aren't we?" Aren't they? "I mean, I thought we were. If you want to be." Naruko never faced this sort of awkwardness before, because now she was about to start rambling..

Moka had a tiny smile and looked at her hands, before glancing off to the side. "I've never done that before." she said. "I've never had any friends," she continued quietly, expression falling. "Before coming here, I was sent away from my family, and I attended human schools. I was always alone. The humans were so unkind to me, I never got to have any moments like this. I've never had anyone to do this with." Moka's lip was quivering.

Naruko felt so out of her depth, but her mouth acted of its own accord for her anyway. "Well now you've got me, so you can tickle me as much as you want, and you won't be alone." she said.

_Oh, shit. That was weird. Tickle me as much as you want? Really? You're a dumbass, Naruko._

Moka surged forward, catching Naruko completely off guard. The smaller girl was wrapped in a nearly too tight embrace, and Moka buried her head in Naruko's neck. Naruko could feel the wetness, the tears that slipped onto her from Moka's watery eyes, and the quivering of her mouth as she sobbed 'thank you' over and over into her neck. Naruko's mind went into overdrive, wanting an explanation for Moka's reaction. Maybe it was because of the relief of not being rejected after going so long without companionship, being alone and an outcast. Maybe it was the relief of being told you had someone, maybe it was have someone say that they wouldn't leave you. Maybe it was a lot of things.

For some reason, Naruko thought she understood, but she couldn't say it, because really, she was never alone. In all that she remembered, she wasn't alone.

"I. . ." Naruko furrowed her brows, gently returning Moka's hug. "won't leave you alone."

Moka's hug tightened further, and Naruko winced when her back popped.

_I'm so dead._

Naruko had been bullied in school, being that delinquent tomboy who looked nothing like a proper girl, who looked foreign, who had a school nurse spill her guts about Naruko having amnesia to the wrong person. It spread across campus, and rumors of her being an attention seeker resurged, along with suspicion of favoritism. Bullies ate that kind of crap up.

She had been an outcast, given a private tutor and dedicating nearly two years to catching up with the world she didn't remember in terms of education before experience. She entered middle school when she was nearing the age of fourteen, near the end of the school year to see what it was like, and had to be tutored after school too. Everyone assumed it was stupidity, but it was just because she didn't _remember_. _Anything._ But despite the being an outcast and bullied indirectly—because no one touched a girl who started warm up reps at 70 pounds, or one who throws a guy down and breaks his ribs with a stomp because he tried to shove the _hollow head _into the lockers—she had someone. She had people. Kyouko, Kanata, and Suzuka. She wasn't alone so she was content.

_I'm human, and I'm still going to die. Especially if she hugs any tighter._ Her subconscious reminded her of the current situation.

Naruto patted Moka's back awkwardly—_what?_ She's never done this before! She's never had to handle a crying girl, or any person really. Don't expect her to be an expert—and wondered what the hell she was going to do now that she was stuck in this monster school that would kill her as soon as she put 'I'm' and 'human' together in the same sentence.

At least she had her friend.

_Only until she finds out I'm human._ Naruko wasn't a fool. She heard the bitterness whenever Moka spoke of Naruko's species. Moka's previous experiences with humans colored her view of them, eventually producing a dark picture whenever they came to mind.

Still, she wasn't going to leave Moka alone. Not when that somber expression that seemed so wrong fit so perfectly onto Moka's face, because sometimes things just became so natural and sometimes nature was cruel.

Resisting a sigh, she breathed in Moka's sweet scent—because _hellooo_, pink hair is in her _nose_—and continued trying to comfort Moka. She couldn't leave, otherwise she'd be breaking her word, and that was—_what was it?_ It was something. The fog filled her head.

_Troublesome._

* * *

_You're a total dick! _Naruko growled, the sound surprisingly feral. She glared at Saizou as he spoke, his words, accompanied by a cocky tone, drawing her blood to a boil.

After the emotional scene that left Naruko off-balanced and Moka happily skipping, they encountered that douchebag from class almost as soon as they entered the hall. Naruko got the feeling he was looking for them, and she was pretty sure she was right when he went on with his 'Salutations!' spiel and started coming onto Moka in a forceful way.

"Let's go somewhere, just the two of us." He glanced at Naruko for a second. "You're friend can join in on the fun too. You're not going to get anyone better—all these guys around me? Humph. They're chumps compared to me." He pointed a thumb at himself. His tongue was poking out again.

_Really? _Naruko thought disbelievingly, nearly snorting. "You wish. Leave us alone." She instantly stiffened as he neared Moka, undeterred, invading her friend's space.

"I can show you a good time—" he was cut off as Naruko managed to push him back, snarling and not appreciating his proximity to her friend. She was thankful she kept fit, because he felt like a friggin' wall and you don't just move those because you felt like it.

"Get away from her, you prick! I'll bust your friggin' ba—what?" A hand latched onto her arm with bruising force.

"I'm sorry but I'm not interested!" Moka cried out, panicked as she literally dragged a shocked Naruko away as students stared after them, too wimpy and content being outside conflict to intervene in the mess.

_What the hell? Why am I so weak? _Naruko nearly winced, feeling her arm ache a bit. She shouldn't have been taken off her feet so easily. _I worked to get stronger and got into so many fights to deal with guys like this, and it turns out I'm the weakest one_ _here._ She knew for a fact that Moka was stronger than her, because her grip felt like a shackle. Moka didn't even know she was hurting her._  
_

_If she can do this, what can he do?_

Naruko glared back at Saizou as she was pulled along by Moka. _Stay away. _She willed him, staring him down. She wished she had telepathy or telekinesis, to make sure he would. But she didn't.

And seeing him stare back, filthy smirk and all, Naruko knew he wouldn't.

_God damn it. I'm dead._

His type always pissed her off, especially after that incident concerning Kyouko. She grit her teeth, but they rounded a corner and she finally, finally, lost sight of him. She turned her head back and saw the back of Moka's head as the taller girl hurried along. She was fast. Eventually, down three hallways and making their way outside, Moka seemed to wind down, panting a little and releasing her friend. Naruko felt a little fatigued herself, but that might of just been her blood simmering down.

"Ah, that was scary," Moka mumbled. Her pale complexion made the blush on her cheeks from the exertion pretty and bright. She glanced at Naruko. "Thank you for standing up for me. Are you okay?"

Naruko looked at her, resisting the urge to rub her sore arm. "You're the one who he was after. Are _you _okay?" Naruko shook her head. "Stupid creep pisses me off. How is he even allowed here?" _Why doesn't anyone stop him? Do youkai just take what they want?_

Moka nodded her in reply to Naruko's first question, and didn't answer the other. She didn't know either. "Do you want to head to the dorms?" Moka asked. "We can relax there. I wonder if we're next to each other." She placed a finger on her chin, a classic thinking pose.

"Sure." Naruko smiled, already finding herself fond of her friend.

The trudge to the dorms was pretty short, seeing as Moka had subconsciously made her way to it knowing that if they entered the girls' dorm Saizou would get in trouble—not that that would probably stop him. The building had the same décor as the rest of the school, meaning it was just as gothic and haunted looking as the main building. Naruko thumbed the strap of her orange bag. She'd set it down once she found out where her room was—the day went by with introductions and then the teachers set the students loose with the intention for them to become familiar with the school and to settle into their dorms.

The day passed at a sedate pace as Naruko finished up in her room, pleased at the amenities. It was like an apartment, she supposed. She ended up at Moka's, spending time with the girl until it was nearly dark. Naruko eventually noticed the rosary in that time.

"It's beautiful," she said, eyeing the red gem in the center with a dark slit in the center like an eye.

Moka jumped. "Oh, my rosary?" she questioned, pulling her shirt the tiniest bit open so it'd be more prominent. It was attached to a beaded choker. "It keeps my powers sealed."

Remembering that Moka was a youkai, Naruko asked, "Sealed?" _If she's already strong enough to pull me off my feet and still look so innocent, how powerful is she unsealed? Why is she?_

Moka had a sad smile on her beautiful face. She looked at Naruko, and began biting her lip. When Moka opened her mouth, Naruko noticed the fangs peeking out from her top lip.

"I'm a vampire."

Stunned, Naruko could only think that _wait, weren't you supposed to keep your true form secret? _and tried to imagine Moka as a vampire. Which she already was, so what did it mean? "So?" Naruko raised an eyebrow.

Moka blinked and laughed, looking like she could cry again. "So I caused a lot of conflict, since I was so strong, and people were scared of me. I was sealed, and then sent away and isolated in the human world." Moka sat on the bed and grabbed Naruko's hand. It was soft and warm. "Everyone was scared of me, except for you. Why?" Moka leaned forward, sounding almost desperate.

Naruko wasn't sure. Maybe she just didn't understand the implications of being a vampire. But it couldn't beat being able to die any minute if her true nature was revealed. "Because it doesn't matter to me." Stunned, Moka's hand went lax in Naruko's. "You're just my friend. You've held my hand and you've laughed and hugged me and cried. You're just the same to me as ten minutes ago as you are now. I just know now, just like learning where you came from or what your last name is. It's just Moka, so it doesn't matter to me."

Moka was about to cry again, so Naruko desperately tried to think of something funny to say. "Now, if you acted like that Saizou guy, that's where we would've had a problem."

Moka gave a wet laugh and pulled Naruko into a hug. She wasn't quite crying, but she was shaking. Her head rested atop Naruko's.

_Tell her._ Her subconscious urged. _This may be your best opportunity._

"Moka." Naruko mumbled softly, getting the girl's attention.

"Hm?" Her pink hair was soft against her face, but it was gone as Moka pulled back a little to see Naruko's face. The expression on her face made Naruko want to blush — it was something of adoration, something sweet that made her chest feel like it was full of soft cotton, warm and fluffy.

"I'm—"

_"The humans were so unkind to me."_

"—glad we're friends." Naruko finished, feeling like trash for chickening out. Moka smiled obliviously at her.

"I am too."

* * *

The next day found Naruko going to classes, feeling off. She was miserable and happy, dreading and hoping. It was pissing her off.

_If she can't accept you then what's the point in being friends? TELL HER._

_No, I can't. _Naruko replied, realizing she was basically arguing with herself. _She hates humans. I heard it in her voice. It's like Suzuka with cockroaches. _But then again Suzuka was terrifying when it came to cockroaches.

_But does she hate you? _her subconscious continued.

_It's fine like this, _Naruko allowed herself to deny.

She and Moka had different classes before lunch, so when the bell rang she didn't go to the lunchroom. She was rounding a corner to go to Moka's classroom when she bumped into a wall.

Said wall turned out to be a smirking Saizou. Managing to balance herself before she toppled onto her bum, Naruko glared and made to say something, but remembered that she was human and shut her mouth. Saizou smirk grew, and he stepped into her way when she made to go around him.

"No apology? That's awfully rude for a lady." he commented, eyes trailing down and then back up her angry form.

"I'm no lady, so move." Naruko retorted. "I've got better things to do than talk with people like you."

Saizou stepped forward, but Naruko held her ground. Students were beginning to gather. He leaned in and inhaled deeply, eyes closing as Naruko's skin chilled, hairs rising. "You smell like a human, so good." He opened his eyes to stare at her, half-lidded with something like amusement crossed with lust. "You're not too bad looking either. Not as good-looking as Moka, though. You're nice and feisty. . ." he breathed, tongue lashing out to stroke her cheek.

Naruko reeled back in disgust, punching him. "Back off!" Saliva lathered her cheek and she cringed, feeling violated.

Their audience ohhh'ed and watched the scene with vapid interest. Saizou's head was tilted, cheek a little red while Naruko felt like she just tried to bludgeon a brick. He laughed. "See, that right there just makes me want you _more_. And I will have you." He stepped forward, but a guy with a red headband got in between them.

"I suggest you leave her alone," the stranger said. He was tall, and he had the aura of a pretty playboy.

Saizou stared, looking dark and furious and the sight of his face actually made Naruko's stomach twist in fear, but he looked over the guy's shoulder to her and said, "Later then, princess." He left hands in his pocket and posture lax like he just hadn't threatened a girl.

The guy who intervened turned and asked, "Are you alright?" He looked at her in honest concern. "My name is Morioka Ginei, but you can call me Gin."

"Naruko." the blonde said, scrubbing furiously at her offended cheek. He looked honest enough, but something about him was familiar enough to fog her head up like it did when she focused to look on Moka's hair. "I'm fine; thanks for that."

He smiled charmingly, but Naruko wasn't too interested. "Anything for a pretty girl."

Raising a brow, she responded flatly, "I'm not interested in romance or anything of the sort if you were looking to be the 'dashing hero' and get the girl, just letting you know."

Gin laughed. "That's alright. I can see I'm not your type anyways. This'll boost my reputation with the ladies though for sure." Giving off what he thought was probably a suave wink, he turned around and started walking away. "In any case, I've got work to do. See you around, and try to stay out of trouble kitty." He threw a wave over his shoulder and fiddled with the camera she just now noticed he was carrying.

Irritated at the nickname, Naruko wondered what he meant as she made her way to lunch until someone called her name frantically. She did a one-eighty, twisting on her heel to see who called her.

"Naruko!"

Moka stopped in front of her, looking frazzled. Her pink hair was a little messy because she had been running. "I heard the students talking about it. You punched Saizou!" she exclaimed. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Naruko rubbed her hand, feeling the tender skin throb. "He was coming on to me and I didn't appreciate it." She hoped her cheek wasn't too red from her rubbing it so roughly to try and feel clean. "I'm okay."

Moka grabbed Naruko's fisted hand. Naruko was glad she knew how to punch properly, then, because if she had punched Saizou with the flat of her fingers instead of her knuckles there would be no doubt that they'd have broken from the impact. As it was, her knuckles looked red and irritated. Moka rubbed her thumb along them. "I'm glad." Moka said, still caressing Naruko's knuckles softly.

Feeling oddly embarrassed and with two twin pools of heat forming in her cheeks, Naruko looked away. "You don't need to worry. I'm pretty tough." _Pretty tough compared to humans, maybe._

After that debacle, Naruko ate lunch with Moka, lamenting that there wasn't any ramen, and wondered why Moka was drinking tomato juice for the first time instead of blood.

"Why don't you drink blood? I mean, don't you?" Maybe vampires were different than believed, but the myth of vampires were centered around them drinking blood, which was why they were even named as such.

Moka blinked at her. "The nurse doesn't really have blood packets on hand often, so I just substitute with tomato juice, even though it doesn't taste as good. It has enough nutrients to keep me from being too hungry all the time."

"Don't you drink from people though?" Naruko inquired. "I mean, is it safe for the people you drink from or does it kill them or something? Do they become vampires?"

Furrowing her brows at Naruko, Moka stared at Naruko and wondered why she seemed so ignorant of one of the strongest youkai. "No, they don't become vampires, and it doesn't really hurt them aside from the pain of the bite, I don't think. As long as we don't take too much, people aren't really in danger from it. Our saliva helps heal the wound when we release them, so humans don't catch on."

"Think?" Naruko asked.

Blushing, Moka fidgeted, looking embarrassed. "I've never really fed from anyone, before."

"Is that bad?"

"It's unusual." Moka answered.

"Do you ever feel full off of tomato juice?" Naruko wanted her friend's state clarified. Did it feel like she was starving?

Moka shook her head. "Not really."

Naruko looked at her and wondered. How much did it hurt? Would it be weird?

But then Moka still looked embarrassed, and Naruko wanted her to know that Naruko was perfectly okay with Moka being a vampire. Scooting closer, making Moka look down at the tiny blonde in confusion, she bit her lip and offered. "If you're hungry, you can drink from me."

_What am I doing?_

Moka shot back, shocked. "You," she stammered. "You're okay with me drinking from you?" Her beautiful pale complexion was scarlet now.

Naruko shrugged. "I trust you."

They were both quiet, Moka staring warily at Naruko like she was strange and foreign, with the whiskered girl returning the gaze resolutely. Moka had to ask, "Are you sure?"

Naruko smiled, feeling triumph. For some reason, this was important to her, beyond the fact that she didn't want her friend to feel hungry. She hated being hungry, because it reminded her of— "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

Moka looked adorably nervous. Her hands were shaky, and she breathed, "Okay. Okay. Um," Wordlessly, Naruko turned towards her, somewhat straddling the bench they were sitting and thankful they were outside.

Moka was really close now. Her trembling hands were resting on Naruko's shoulder, and her green eyes were bright with emotion. She was biting her lip again, and Naruko liked the way her fangs were cute and tiny looking. Naruko pulled her headband to the side, seeing as Moka was going for her neck, and pulled the collar of her shirt to reveal her neck.

Moka's breath was heady, and her fangs grazed her skin hesitantly, like she was still wondering if it was okay.

"It's okay, Moka." Naruko assured again.

There was a pinch, and then stinging. Naruko flinched but didn't move. Her mouth was wet on Naruko's neck, her body leaning on the blonde's, chest to chest. Moka made a little noise, and Naruko recognized it as a moan. She blushed.

Moments later, Moka pulled back, looking flushed herself. "You taste, um—" Stuttering, Moka cut herself off, before continuing quietly. "Thank you."

Feeling something heavy and unbearably warm in her chest, Naruko gave a smile that stretched wide enough to make her eyes shut. "You're welcome."

Moka looked happy.

They ate in companionable silence after that.

* * *

It was beginning to eat away at her now, it was eating at the both of them. Only four days into her stay at this monster school, Naruko could tell that Moka wanted to ask. The big, damning question:

_What are you?_

_I'm human._

It wasn't surprising when it finally filled the air, though. Moka was looking insanely curious, glancing over at her whiskered friend during the classes they had together. She was quieter than normal, and she opened her mouth several times only to shut it.

Eventually, after school let out, so was the question that had been trapped on Moka's tongue.

"You know I am a vampire. You're not afraid of me." She looked so confused. "What are you, Naruko?" She didn't care about the rules, she had committed herself to asking the question, but she had pulled Naruko somewhere discreet to do so. The curiosity was going to make her pull her hair out, wondering what her short blonde friend was and wondering if what she was had anything to do with not being afraid of Moka being a vampire.

Naruko felt surprisingly calm. Her thoughts were quiet, in this moment. The trees didn't look nearly as scary, and neither did the gravestones littering the woods.

"Does it matter?" she decided to stall. Maybe she didn't have to say it, but her tongue was aching to wiggle those words out itself.

Moka shook her head, but she still said, "I would like to know, though." since she noticed the attempt to avoid answering. The vampire felt her resolve strengthen. Maybe Naruko was ashamed. "Naruko, you can tell me. You said you trusted me. I'm just letting you know it won't matter to me. You're my friend." No matter what kind of youkai Naruko was, it wouldn't matter to Moka. "It's okay if you really don't want to tell me, though. I don't want to push you when you've been so kind to me."

The blonde didn't say anything for a moment, observing Moka, who had intertwined her hands together and looked determined. The blonde leaned back on a tree and let her head drop, resigned.

"Hey," she caught Moka's attention, judging by the way the vampire perked up. Here she was in the middle of the woods, with a vampire, attending a private academy for monsters, and about to reveal her very nature which would get her killed. She wondered why she only felt. . . well, she felt nothing, besides the odd swirling in her stomach. Dread? "How do you feel about humans?"

Moka started at the question. Her eyebrows threatened to reach her hairline, the way they jumped. "I. . ." What did that have to do with anything? Naruko was looking at her beneath her pretty eyelashes, blue eyes unreadable. "I don't like them. They were always cruel to me during middle school. They made me feel like a freak, and I felt like I'd always be alone, until I met you. Why?"

Naruko's jaw was tight. Moka looked at her with such a soft expression, oblivious. Her expression that had looked so sad, talking about humans, brightening whenever she saw Naruko in the morning. The mouth that had formed the word 'humans' with such a grimace, like it was bitter, so unlike the way she said Naruko's name, and it reflected in her sweet voice.

"If I was human, would you hate me?"

Moka's eyes widened. "What?" Naruko seemed like she was glaring at her, but she was really just pinning her with her gaze, like she was sizing her up. "What do you—" Naruko was watching the expressions crawling across her face. Surprise, confusion, realization, surprise again, and then. . .

Fear. Naruko repeated tonelessly, seeing Moka's mouth gape. "I'm human." She cocked her head, a hand coming to her headband and hooking a finger around it as a form of comfort. She watched Moka's mouth flap. She was frozen, pink hair framing that painful expression. "Do you hate me?"

Moka finally came back to herself. This had to be a joke. Naruko was playing a joke. "You. . . can't be human." she mumbled, in denial. Naruko was too kind to be a human like the ones that caused her to endure loneliness.

"I am."

"You can't; humans can't get through the barrier!"

"I did." Pained, Naruko wondered when she got too close, too soon, to Moka. When she gave Moka the power to pry a piece of her heart away. Did losing friends hurt like this? If it did, she was never making another. She wouldn't lose another. Naruko observed Moka's reaction dully.

Moka stepped back. She looked at the ground, trying to make sense of it. Her head was swirling, she needed to sit down. Naruko was a human? A human, who held her. A human, who accepted her. A human, that wasn't _afraid _of her.

A human, who was her friend.

When Moka looked up, Naruko was gone.

* * *

_I told you it was fine as it was. I told you.__ I didn't have to lose her. I should've just kept my mouth shut._

Her mind and subconscious was quiet. There was no fog. She was running, trying to stem the bleeding in her chest but she couldn't find the wound. She didn't know how to close it. She recalled Moka's face, the—the disgust, looking at her like she was—

_"DEMON BRAT!"_

Her head exploded with painful pressure. Her legs went out from under her and she fell to the ground, heaving out a short, pained cry. Images flicked passed like someone was changing the channel on the television too quick to catch more than a glimpse of the transitioning pictures.

_"Naruko, you IDIOT! Worrying us like that, geez!"_ a voice blasted her hearing to hell. A girl, a red dress. Pink hair, green eyes. Not Moka. Then she was gone.

Naruko blinked rapidly. She was blinded by colored swirls in her mind's eye and the fuzzy blackness encroaching upon her sight, ears ringing. She felt something tight and wet curl her around her, beneath her chest. The ground give way beneath her, but she wasn't falling. She looked down numbly, disoriented, and went still at the sight of the appendage wrapped around her midsection. She heard the laugh in her ears.

"Well, look what I caught. A feisty mouse!" Saizou cackled around his tongue, sounding slow and his voice off from having his mouth unable to close. "I thought I'd be a gentleman and help you up." he explained, voice slimy with malicious intent. "So why don't you help _me _out? It's only fair. Didn't I tell you earlier?"

Naruko finally looked up from the tongue, blue big in her shock. A monster looked down at her, discolored muscles bulging out with the tatters of a uniform still clinging on. In her vulnerability and the remnants of a painful headache still lingering, she felt fear.

"I told you I would have you. And after you, I'll have Moka. You two are too damn good to let go, so much better than the humans I've molested. But you smell like a human anyways, so it's even better."

The tongue began winding around her like a snake, and Naruko finally found it in her to kick and scream in rage. "Let me go, you bastard!" she shrieked. The tongue slid under her shirt, and she hissed. "You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!" This wasn't happening to her. This wasn't happening at all. She should have gone home the moment she knew the truth about the school. Now she was being restrained and molested by a damn TONGUE. She felt tears spring to her eyes at the hopelessness of her situation.

She finally felt alone, here. She was human, and the only friend she had in this messed up world hated her now. _Fuck this shit, _she grit her teeth, angry tears making their way down her faze. Saizou laughed.

"Beautiful!" His tongue wormed around her chest roughly, and she spat at him, shoulders trembling from her despair. "I love that face there."

His tongue snaked out of her top, making its way to sample her tears, and she took her chance. She snapped at it, and buried her teeth in it. It was disgusting, and blood was filling her mouth. It seems his tongue was still weak enough for a human to bite through.

He shrieked. "You _fucking bitch__!_" The slimy, bleeding appendage retreated, smacking her to the side and ripping her shirt and vest open. Her scar was revealed to the world. The streaks of faint, lightninglike patterned tissue showed beneath her bra. Her stomach's scar was displayed, red from Saizou's assault. She rolled, wincing and feeling bruised all along her face and stomach.

He stomped towards her. "I'll fucking break you," he swore. "You might look ugly under your shirt, but I'll still rip you open just the same."

"Naruko!"

Their heads twisted to see Moka there with her face full of panic and terror.

Naruko didn't take the time to figure out what for. Even if Moka hated her, Naruko still cared, and understood why. It was something she knew, something she couldn't blame her for, even if Naruko herself didn't understand why she knew. "Moka! Get out of here!" She wouldn't sit there and let Saizou hurt Moka too. Saizou was grinning again, angrily, but triumphantly too.

"Want to join, _Moka-san_?" He made to grab Naruko, but she gathered enough strength to get to her feet and jump to the side. She winced immediately, feeling the pain from being whipped by the tongue still, but Saizou was coming for her again, irritated. "Sit still, you bitch!"

His blood was still dripping from her chin. "Moka, leave!" she called out again, seeing Moka was coming towards her, but she had to stumble into a roll to avoid Saizou's swings. Her eyes widened when Moka shook her head, eyes glassy.

"I'm not leaving you alone!"

The shock from those words, the same as the ones she told Moka, gave Saizou the opportunity to slap Naruko into the air like a broken doll. She felt her ribs give way, but no blood came to her mouth. Cracked, not broken. No fluid in the lungs. The information came to her immediately, without understanding. She hit a tree and slumped back on it, dazed.

"Naruko!" Moka was there. Her beautiful hair was messy and her green orbs wet. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," she whimpered, gently pulling Naruko into her arms and wiping Saizou's filthy blood off the blonde's chin. "I don't care if your human," she whispered, aware of Saizou grinning and bearing down on them, swaggering slowing in his arrogance towards them. "I don't care. You're my friend, so please. . ."

Naruko wheezed, kind of wanting to laugh if nothing more from the fact that Moka didn't hate her. She grabbed the tatters of her shirt and vest, pulling it closed to prevent Moka from seeing her scar if she hadn't already noticed it. "I'm too weak to do anything, Moka," she breathed. Her ribs hurt. "You need to get out of here." Naruko was pushing, her hands trying to find purchase anywhere on Moka's form.

Moka shook her head and smacked her hands away gently. "No," she said firmly, but her lip trembled. Naruko was pushing again, an Moka grabbed her hands to keep them still, repeating louder, "No!" She pushed Naruko's hands down, holding her wrists.

There was a clink.

Naruko's fingers had caught on her rosary.

Naruko blinked and Moka froze, mouthing words but too shocked to say them. Naruko whispered to herself, realization coming to her. "The rosary. . .?"

Light flooded Naruko's vision, but maybe it was just blurry from that headache. Saizou was crying out something in his confusion, ugly clawed hand shielding his eyes from the brightness. Eventually, the bright aura faded away, and Naruko's breath caught in her chest, becoming much like a statue in her stillness.

Red eyes anchored her to the ground, kept her from moving. Beautiful red, but the fog was filling her and the scar on her stomach burned. She took comfort in the fact that Moka's eyes were slitted, instead of whatever the fog was trying to show her. Pink had melted away to a gorgeous silver, and Naruko still didn't remember how to breathe.

"Moka." she managed to choke out. "Whoa." The rosary was still in her hand as a silver eyebrow quirked on this more mature woman's face, which was probably carved of something regal and expensive because wow. Here she was with cracked ribs, gawking over a sassy expression. Why were both Moka's spretty? She wanted to pout, somewhat envious of her friend, but she'd deal.

"Hm." This Moka, the real one? The other one? Whatever. She was talking now. "You released me from my slumber." She was still kneeling beside Naruko, the same position as when the other Moka was trying to aid Naruko, with her hands around Naruko's wrists. She was smirking. "You held up well for a human, I suppose. That's good. It would've been disappointing if Omote had come all this way just to have you die, or worse."

"I guess." Naruko finally regained enough sense to say, grinning. Omote? Then this one was Ura? Ura Moka looked surprised for some reason. "Sorry about this," Naruko felt like she had to apologize.

The silver-haired beauty stood, even taller than the other Moka, still eyeing Naruko like she was trying to figure her out. Shaking her head for some reason, she turned to Saizou, who was trembling. She slowly released her warm grasp on Naruko and stood.

"A vampire? This intense supernatural aura. . ." he choked out, looking both fearful and excited. His eyes drank Ura Moka in lecherously and Naruko wanted to punch him in the face again, even if it did hurt. Ura Moka stretched, a saucy smile that Naruko couldn't imagine on Omote Moka's face gracing her features. "This is—" He chuckled, lust in his eyes. "I WANT YOU EVEN MORE! I'm not letting you go now, you will be MINE!"

The vampire's arched an eyebrow. "You want me, then?" she purred, sending shivers down Naruko's spine, and obviously Saizou. His tongue was hanging out limply, saliva dripping from it. His eyes were riveted on her. Moka cocked her hip, hand resting on it. For some reason, Naruko thought arrogance looked good on her. "Come and get me then, O rogue one. Try and take me, if you're strong enough."

And Saizou did just that, plowing forth with all the force of a train, an animal like bellow ripping from his chest. "Uuooohh!"

Naruko held her ribs, wondering why she wasn't worried, but more curious. Moka was unflinching as the behemoth of a monster neared her, hand outstretched to grab her.

Moka simply reached out and swatted his hand away like he was a gnat. He stumbled.

Saizou's eyes widened, and then the vampire's eyes bore into his as Moka moved to lean in close. "This level of power you have," she commented, smirk still in place. "is nothing."

A foot raced toward his face, too fast, nothing but a blur before his eyes. Naruko watched with rapt attention, awed, as Saizou was propelled away by a devastating kick, a strangled scream tearing from his lips. _Good form. _Naruko mused. He smashed through several trees, brutal cracking of dead bark sounding through the woods. He landed meters away, groaning and slipping into unconsciousness.

Moka gazed after him. "Know your place. You have nothing aside from your muscles to show off. Such weakness isn't an adequate opponent to test my strength on." Not once did she lose her cocky expression. Finally she turned around and took stock of her injured companion. She made her way towards her, hips swaying smoothly.

_Where do I learn to walk like that? _Naruko managed to stand. She held out the rosary with an impressed grin. Ura Moka had this sort of grace to her walk, like she was noble or something. She was so unlike the other Moka, who skipped and bounced, not the least bit timid as she neared the shorter girl. Naruko couldn't help but comment, "You're something of a force of nature, aren't cha?" _Saizou didn't stand a chance at all. . ._

Moka chuckled in cold amusement, her voice deeper and more sultry. Naruko liked it as much as Omote's laugh. "And you're foolishly bold." Her fingers grazed Naruko's as they stared at each other. They were both forming impressions of the other. Moka took the rosary but had yet to link it back to its chain.

"You're not at all afraid?" Moka clarified, truly curious. This blonde was interesting, taking in Omote's concerns even when it came to the shorter girl's own predicament of being human. The care Naruko showed for Moka's other self had gladdened her. What Omote felt, Ura also did in her slumber. Naruko made Omote happy, and when she was gone she had felt Omote's terrible hurt and the fear that she had well and truly driven off her only friend. She remembered that fear, and she knew that if Naruko left the other her would break. She let herself glance at the traces of scars on Naruko's chest for all of a moment, since the blonde's hands held the edges of her shirt together to cover her stomach. It looked like lightning. The full size of it couldn't be seen due to Naruko's bra. _Now where does a human get a wound like that?_

She returned her gaze to Naruko's face.

"Nah," Naruko grinned. "It's cool. You were awesome."

Ura Moka raised her brows, smirk having fallen in her surprise. "Hmph." she recovered. "I'm still tired, so I suggest you take care of my sentimental side. I'd hate to lose your delicious blood." She clipped the rosary on, already planning to go over her own personal encounter with the blonde within her sleep.

Naruko in surprise as Omote Moka appeared, who fell forward, limp and in a light sleep.

Staring dumbly at the girl in her arms, she slumped to the ground slowly. Finally, her cheeks about ripped open as she smiled, and then laughed loudly. _I'm alive._ She didn't feel any surprise at the tears pricking the corner of her eyes.

_I'm alive, and she knows, and she doesn't hate me._

She didn't stop grinning foxily, even when Moka woke up and started fussing over her wounds. _It's fine like this, too. Even better. _Naruko smiled and hugged Moka, feeling light.

"Now can we go to the nurse? My ribs are sore."


End file.
